Tracks & Throwbacks: SiriusXM’s Ashley Till Shares Her Journey Through Radio

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SiriusXM’s Ashley Till

Everyone has those songs—the ones that transport you back to a specific moment in time, the ones that fill you with nostalgia for an era filled with fond memories and simplicity. For Ashley Till, that isn’t just a fleeting experience; it’s the heartbeat of her daily life. As the host of SiriusXM’s Y2Kountry, Till has the opportunity to bring that feeling to life and invite listeners back to experience the familiar, hometown sounds of the early 2000s.

Through her natural, engaging presence on-air and her undeniable passion for Y2K-era country, Till’s career has flourished in ways that have made her a recognizable name in the world of satellite radio. Recently, MusicRow had the opportunity to sit down with her as she explored her early influences, her love for the Y2Kountry format and her experiences as a dynamic presence in country music radio and beyond.

To understand how Till found herself riding shotgun from your morning drive to your afternoon grocery stop, you have to look back to where her passion began—high school. “We actually had a station at my school in Indianapolis, Indiana, where we played the Top 40. During my junior and senior years, I became really interested in it, not realizing where it would eventually lead.”

When she reached graduation, full of confidence and a newfound calling, she recorded an aircheck, essentially a radio demo, and decided to go straight to the number one radio station in Indianapolis. As one might imagine, they did not immediately put her behind the mic. “They told me, ‘We can’t put you on air right away, but we could offer you a part-time job driving the station vehicle.’ So I took the opportunity, worked my way up, and eventually, I landed a weekend on-air position when I was 19. It was a Top 40 station in Indianapolis.”

SiriusXM’s Ashley Till

This station was Till’s first real, professional experience in radio—and she instantly fell in love. Shortly thereafter, she made the bold decision to unenroll from college and go all in on the radio thing, lamenting, “I always feel bad saying that because I know parents don’t like to hear it!”

From there, Till jumped around Indiana, taking small roles at Top 40 stations all over the state before landing at a position in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as a midday country music host. But, there was a catch.

“You see, I grew up listening to country music and hearing my mom listen to [artists like] Billy Ray Cyrus. However, that meant that I did not want to do country because that’s what my parents liked. So the radio station in Fort Wayne was like, ‘We don’t have any Top 40 positions open, but we do have the middays at our country station.’ And I will never forget, I cried the day I accepted that job because I didn’t want to switch. It seems so dumb now because it was such a blessing. It was truly meant to be.”

Eventually, Till found herself traveling again, this time to Orlando, Florida, where she landed her biggest opportunity yet, a No. 1 morning show. However, she had one more objective that she had to get out of her system—moving to Music City. After two years at one of the biggest stations in Orlando, Till packed her bags, with only a chocolate lab and a couple thousand dollars to her name, and headed for Nashville.

“I’ve always been that person that just jumps all in. I don’t put my toe in the water, I go right in with a cannonball. I knew that the heart of country music was in Music City, it is the center, the mecca for everything country music, so I decided that is where I needed to be.”

However, leaving a top position in a huge market like Orlando did not ensure a top spot in Nashville. Till, once again, started at the bottom rung as a radio phone screener and then worked her way up to producer and, finally, to a position with SiriusXM in 2016.

Since then, she has called SiriusXM home. Previously a midday host on SiriusXM’s country station The Highway, she now hosts five days a week on Y2Kountry and the christian music station, The Message and weekends on the contemporary pop/throwback station, The Pulse.

SiriusXM’s Ashley Till

Till’s winding journey through radio has shaped not just her career, but the distinct on-air persona that listeners have come to recognize and love—no matter what station she is on.“As far as my persona across channels, the only thing that changes is the music. I like to think people see me as a relatable, hot mess…the girl next door. I am the girl that is shopping at Walmart and Target running late to drop my kids off at school. I have a five and seven year old, so I feel like there are a lot of people who can relate to that. I like to tell stories and engage with the audience in that way as well.”

Her stories, while not always ‘relatable’ on a one-to-one scale, shine a light on the small, idiosyncrasies of life that make you shake your head and laugh. One fan-favorite story involves her son’s late pet lizard named Spot who currently resides in the family’s deep freezer as they search for a time and place to bury it. “There are listeners who will check in, asking, ‘Have you buried Spot yet?’ and I have literally forgotten that Spot is dead in my freezer.”

Overall, she hopes her audience views her as a family-friendly, positive voice on the radio, “I like to think of myself as a friend riding in the car with my listeners. Hopefully, a friend they don’t want to throw out of the car,” laughs Till. “I don’t have a super polarizing personality, and I am like that in real life. I want to be friends with everyone so that is the person you get on air.”

For Till, radio means more than just spinning tracks. It is about crafting an atmosphere — one that celebrates not only the music but the people behind it. “I like to talk to the people outside of the artist to get to know the artist more, and I’ve done that a lot this year. I’ve talked to people like Rhett Akins, Thomas Rhett’s dad, about Thomas growing up as well as Shay Mooney’s wife, Hannah, about how it is when he’s on the road, and she will talk about how tough it is. I want to show perspective and realness—I want to show that these people are just as real as you and I and their stories always show that.”

Looking ahead, Till’s future in radio is one of growth and new opportunities. With a clear ambition to expand beyond her role as an on-air host, she aims to delve into programming, curating playlists, and managing SiriusXM channels, particularly with the added potential of Pandora’s reach. Her focus on being a relatable, positive voice for her audience will continue to drive her work, whether she’s discovering new talent or sharing personal stories that resonate deeply with listeners. As she navigates these next steps in her career, her versatility and passion will undoubtedly shape the future of country music and radio.

John Nix Arledge
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